Gene Grimsley, age 80, passed away Friday, July 14, 2006, at Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, due to complications from an aortic aneurysm. Visitations will be from 4-7 P.M. Tuesday at Eidsness Funeral Home, with a wake service following at 7:00 P.M. A private Mass will be held on Friday, July 21, at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish, with interment in the church cemetery. Cards can be sent to Frances Grimsley at 2322 Yorkshire Drive, Apt. 306, Brookings, South Dakota 57006. Gene was born April 5, 1926, at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Robert A. and Elizabeth (Bryson) Grimsley. He worked in sales for several years, and it was on one of his sales trips to Sioux Falls that he met Frances Mousel of Dell Rapids. The two married July 5, 1958. Gene and his wife lived in Seattle, Washington, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving to Brookings in 1966. Since becoming a Brookings resident, Gene managed the V.F.W., the Pheasant Lounge, the Coachlight, and the Safari nightclubs. More recently, he worked for several years in various positions for the Brookings Park and Recreation Department, SDSU, and the Brookings School District until his retirement in December 2005. Music was a large part of Genes life. He always pursued his love for music, and was self-taught in many stringed instruments and keyboard. He carried this talent out by teaching all of his children music and led several bands in Sioux Falls and Brookings. With his children he formed the family band The Grimsley Brothers, who traveled and performed throughout venues in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska for seven years. Gene also enjoyed working with children, from instructing guitar lessons to working as a playground supervisor to simply spending time with his own children and grandchildren. He was well-known for his generous sense of humor, which he passed on to his children and others through his quick one-liners, jokes, and stories. An avid reader, Gene also spent restful hours working crossword puzzles, strumming his guitar, playing the keyboard, listening to old time country music, and watching classic movies. He was a member of the St. Thomas More Catholic Parish. Survivors include his wife, Frances, of Brookings; five children, Vanessa (Bob) Munson, Rick (Cindy Thompson) Grimsley, and Randy (Heidi) Grimsley, all of Brookings; Robert (Joni) Grimsley of Harrisburg, South Dakota, and Ron (Misty) Grimsley of Mitchell, South Dakota; ten grandchildren; three half-sisters; and one half-brother. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter.